Air Canada suspended plans to restart flights on Aug. 17 after the union representing more than 10,000 flight attendants told members to ignore a federal back-to-work order, extending a strike that has already disrupted hundreds of services during the peak summer season.
The move forced the airline to cancel about 240 flights on Sunday, prolonging a shutdown that has grounded Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge operations since Aug. 16. In a statement, the airline said it would now resume services “as of tomorrow evening” [Aug. 18] and warned customers not to go to the airport unless they had confirmed bookings on other carriers.
The Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) had ordered flight attendants to return to work by 2 p.m. EDT on Aug. 17 and extended the expired collective agreement until a new one is agreed. But the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the airline’s cabin crew, told members to defy the order, accusing Ottawa of caving “to corporate pressure” by intervening less than 12 hr. into the strike.
All Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights were suspended on Aug. 16 when the walkout took effect. However, services operated by Jazz Aviation and PAL Airlines continue to fly normally.
Canada’s jobs minister Patty Hajdu invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to end the dispute through binding arbitration after negotiations collapsed. She said the decision was necessary to preserve “stability and supply chains” after Air Canada and CUPE remained “very far apart on a number of key issues.”
In a statement on Aug. 16, CUPE condemned the government’s action as a violation of workers’ rights. “This is not over,” CUPE National President Mark Hancock said. “We will continue to fight on the picket lines, on the streets, at the bargaining table, in the courts and in Parliament.”
The strike has caused widespread disruption across Air Canada’s global network, which serves 180 destinations and operates about 700 flights daily in normal conditions. The airline said it would take seven to 10 days to fully stabilize its schedule once flying resumes.
The dispute centers on compensation and working conditions. Air Canada said it offered flight attendants a 38% increase in total compensation over four years, including a 25% raise in the first year, along with boarding pay. CUPE rejected the offer, saying boarding pay amounted to only half of flight attendants’ hourly rate and that wages remained below inflation, below industry benchmarks and, in some cases, below Canada’s minimum wage.
CUPE members voted 99.7% in favor of a strike in early August after eight months of negotiations. The union has argued that Air Canada never intended to reach a deal, instead lobbying the government for arbitration.
Air Canada said it would offer passengers with canceled flights several options, including obtaining a full refund or receiving a credit for future travel. “The carrier will also offer to rebook customers on other carriers, although capacity is currently limited due to the peak summer travel season,” it added.
